Better choice

"That is easy - Plantation XO 20th Anniversary (and I will be looking for yet another bottle today!). After my experience with Zacapa 23 Solera, I will no longer buy any more from Zacapa. However, I just broke down and bought a bottle of Zacapa XO. It is very good, but not worth the high price. The Plantation XO 20th is the best bargain hands down for rums costing $40 US or more."

Better choice

"Hi,
I am planning to buy some fine rum as a present for my longtime friend, but I am not quite sure which one to choose.

My choice is between Zacapa Centenario 23yo and Plantation XO 20th Anniversary. I am not an expert when it comes to rums, the only better rum we had together so far was Diplomatico, which we truly enjoyed. Both rums have a similar score in the list (8,6) and amazing reviews, so I think neither of them will be a bad choice, but I would rather ask experts. Which one do you think I should choose?

Kind regards,
V.
"

What Cola do you mix with?

"At first You can try something simple. Something like Dr. Pepper. I tried some different colas and most artisanal colas stole the flavor. Some good spiced or just dark rich rum will be needed for them. I dunno what you got there for sale in Australia :D"

Recent bargain finds are what keeps me going

"After posting my 185th review, I am slowly running out of rums to try. I won't spend any money on bottom shelf rot gut unless research warrants taking a risk on them. I am also very hesitant to spend more than $100 US on a new bottle and then feel like I could have had 3 or more rums that are almost as good for the same price. My brief risks into those high priced rums were only done so after perusing these reviews extensively. Now, the odds of taking a risk on a rum that winds up in the upper 25% of all of those that I have rated is like betting on the horse with longest odds. However, when those surprise winners wind up with a rating of 7.5 or higher, this is what keeps me going. Simply put, bargains will never wind up with a 9 or 10 rating. What is shown below are the pleasant surprises rated at 8 or an upper level 7. All cost me $20 to $27 US each. My rating is shown first before each one and they are placed in order of my overall rankings. I hope this helps.

"Buy what you like, drink what you buy. "

Rums that you have , but will NEVER open !

"I was never much of a collector of anything except for music, but I started my rum collection a year ago with mainly sweetened rums. I soon found out that rums with 20 gpl of added sugar or more will change drastically in taste as more air is allowed into the bottle. By the time four months is up, one might as well pour the rest of these sweet ones down the drain. I now focus mainly on dry and semi-dry rums for drinking purposes, since these seem to last for seven months or more. These rums are also much better for one's health. I now always record the date that each bottle was opened in my spreadsheet.

Since the amount of added sugar varies from year to year for each of the historically sweet rums, I would advise investors and collectors to notate the date and amount of added sugar when first purchased. When the time comes to sell it or open it to begin drinking it, you will have it's original information, probably taped to the bottom of the bottle with freezer tape However, if I was ever to get my hands on a bottle of very collectible rum and be willing to cough up the cash, I would also make these suggested notes onto the bottom of the bottle as well as in my spreadsheet. Then I would hide it way out of my sight!"

Rums that you have , but will NEVER open !

"I have a bottle of Appleton's Blender's Select that I purchased, when visiting the distillery. $250US at the time.
When arriving back at our hotel, a guy offered me $500 for it, as he wasn't able to get there before his trip was up.
It's resided in my cabinet, in it's wooden cradle since 2013.
I have no children to bequeath it to, and personally not a huge Appleton's fan. So, it will sit and rest for who knows when.
Jokingly thought about (as they slowly disappear from the market) what it may be worth one day. Not as any sort of investment, just knowing I have one.
I've thought, one day, perhaps on my 75th or something (24yrs to go) perhaps I'll line up everything I have, start at one end and work my way down the line, 1 sip at a time. Of course, I'll be looking for others to join & appreciate it all at that time."

Your Top 3 smoothest Rum's

"DRE
Santa Teres 1796
Plantation XO
Special mention to Admiral Rodney and Flor de Caña 18.
Being from BC, Canada I too find it really hard to locate/ purchase unique producers. There seem to be a few in AB, plenty out east, but little to less than little.
So many others I keep reading about here, and putting on my wish list to find one day."

Diplomatico 2004 Single Vintage

"I've been fortunate to have enjoyed the 2002 as well as a bottle of the Ambassador.
Personally, for the expansive price difference to the Diplimatico Riserva Exclusiva, I did not feel the value was representative.
The DRE (again, in my opinion) is one of the finest, well balanced and complex rums I've tasted, ranking as #1 in my top 5.
Currently (oops) I finished off the Single Vintage 2002 I had, and will pick up another only as a filler for the spot in my collection.
I'm looking forward to exploring and experience more varieties, finding the ones that really impress both for exclusivity and value for dollar.
I'd highly recommend the Santa Teresa 1796 and Plantation XO, as ranking up there with DRE.
Pull the trigger if you find the opportunity, you won't be disappointed, but be sure you've had the Exclusiva to compare. I'd really be interested in your comments."

The Duppys Share

"There are now 39 ratings on this site for The Duppy Share, ranging from ratings of 3 to 8. I have not tried it nor do I know where to get it. From reading a few of the reviews, I would approach this one with caution, since it is a blend of 3 Year Jamaican and 5 Year Barbados rums. The only thing they have in common is no added sugar. When it comes to taste, those two rums are about as polar opposite as one can get."

How do I create my cabinet?

"All you have to do is submit your first review and your cabinet will automatically appear. Then you can choose one of several choices for the cabinet's background. Once you have logged in and you see a rum that you like, but have not yet reviewed, you can add it to your wish list. As soon as you review a rum on your wish list, it will automatically be removed from your wish list."

"Anyone have any comments on the Duppys Share Rum? Price? Where to get it? Taste?"

How do I create my cabinet?

"Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm an unpaid member. I want to set up my personal cabinet on the site (or the app) but I can't figure out how to do it. What am I missing? Is there supposed to be a link somewhere?"

Zaya rum

"It's too bad if you see what is going on with a few big distillers. Not just Zaya, it seems Zacapa 23, Dictator 20 is not the same again. Probably they pushed the solera system too much.
I get more and more into single cask rum, expensive but worth every drop.
"

Best Bang For The Bucks

"Here is my fool proof formula for the QPR, which I have been referring to as my B/C ratio (from years of doing cost estimates for multi-million dollar construction projects).

Let NRR equal the total number of rums rated and MP equal the maximum allowable price before taxes. In my case, I let MP=$97 US. I also stay away from expensive rums with pretty bottles or false age statements and $97 US is the most that I ever paid for an entire bottle. It is then VERY important to honestly rank all of the rums that you have reviewed. Side by side tastings may be necessary in many cases.

Then QPR=((1+NRR-Ranking)/NRR)/(Shelf Price/MP)

Once this is done, sort the results in descending order and then plot them. The ones with QPR values above 3.0 will really stick out, but these will all be for rums costing less than $30 US. To get around this problem, have another column in the spreadsheet for price level (1=less than $20 US, 2=$20-$29 US, etc.). Then sort by price level first, followed by descending QPR. No surprise, the one at the top of price level 4 (costing $40 US or more) is Plantation XO 20th Anniversary.

This is also great for doing "What If?" scenarios. For example, Angostura 7 is a pretty good rum, but at $28, it's QPR value just did not cut it. Experimenting with the price was how I found out how much it is over priced. As for the rankings, you can experiment with those as well, but the more rums ranked, the less it affects the QPR value.

This sounds like a lot of work, but once the spreadsheet has been set up, it is actually pretty easy."

Rum is of course all about personal taste, and with one rum being so different from another, it is more subjective than other spirits. My personal list of cheaper everyday rums are as follows

Price and my preference are broadly in line as well.

The one rum that I would think deserves a place on Stefan's list is another rum from Barbancourt. He has the 15yo on it, but the Barbancourt 5 Star (8yo) is not a bad cheaper rum. However, I think it is about €27-30 so if you can get the 15yo for €40, then the price difference might not make it that attractive. "

Best Bang For The Bucks

"I’m sure there are more rum that can earn a place at the list it’s all about personal opinion.
I didn’t like Mount Gay’s premium rum 1703 and therefore also never have tested their XO. If I remember right it was the first British styled rum I tested, so I will give Mount Gay a second chance."